JJ Abrams reveals more about Star Trek Into Darkness

Dec 24, 2012

In a video interview with Japanese site GyaO! which is not available for streaming outside of Japan, JJ Abrams gave more details for the film ‘Into Darkness’. The interview was originally found by Trek Movie’s Tokyo correspondent and translated. The following may contain spoilers!

“So this movie doesn’t require you have seen the first movie. The characters are a group of people who have recently come together and find themselves up against this incredibly terrifying force. His name is John Harrison and he is sort of an average – that is what makes him so scary – he is just an average guy who works in an organization called Starfleet, and he turns against the group because he has got this back-story and this kind of amazing secret agenda. After two very violent attacks, one in London and one in the US, our characters have to go after this guy and apprehend him. And it is a far more complicated and difficult thing then they ever anticipated. “Into Darkness” is very much about how intense it gets and really what they are up against. “ – JJ Abrams on a simplified version for Japanese film-goers.

JJ Abrams on the film title ‘Into Darkness’ made it clear that despite the ‘dark’ title, this is still a film about hope.

“I love movies that are big and unabashedly a huge fan of big pop mass appeal movies. I do love that. I love being in a theater packed with people and everyone gasping at the same time and having that communal experience. I don’t like going to the movies to feel bad. I don’t like going to the movies to feel depressed and feel diminished. The reason you go to the movies is to feel bigger and stronger and happier. So this is a movie that they certainly go ‘Into Darkness,’ but I would be the wrong director if it was about characters staying there. This is very much a movie about hope, about love, about romance, and about facing something that is truly terrifying and finding a way through the connection of your family and surviving and being stronger afterwards.”

JJ Abrams was also asked in the interview about working with 3D.

“I had never done anything in 3D and frankly it was a format that scared me a little bit because I really loved the sort of purity of the 2D, but I have to say – especially because we filmed in IMAX – doing a conversion to 3D with some new techniques with people who have done amazing conversion work on movies like Titanic, hasactually opened up some doors to some really creative and really fun moments. So I am becoming a little bit of a convert to it.”

Abrams also commented on his use of lens flares as see in Star Trek (2009).

“When we made the first Star Trek we never added lens flares, it was always ‘in camera.’ And I do love them and I know I get beaten up some times because of it. But it actually works pretty well in conversion”

Subscribe

Visionary Trek is not affiliated with CBS Studios or Paramount Pictures. Star Trek ®, in all its various forms, is a trademark of CBS Studios and Paramount Pictures. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective holders.